Downtown San Diego Engagement Sesh with their Pup! | Melissa & Melanie
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As a lover of National Parks, eloping in one of them sounds like a dream come true. Every National Park I have visited has inspired me in so many ways. There’s truly something magical about them and I love helping couples plan epic experiences at them. All of these spots do require permits and planning ahead, as well as a promise to leave no trace!I’ve been fortunate enough to photograph at some amazing spots, so I thought I’d share some of my favorites!
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We were largely inspired by Anita’s love for antiques and her stunning wedding gown’s lace skirt. She wanted every detail of their wedding to have a classy vintage vibe and we created a unique colorful vintage inspired and charming “Sofreh Aghd” and Cake table that would make you want to get lost in an intimate romantic vintage boho Persian Wedding.
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Cassandra and Ryan escaped the cold months back home and adventured to San Diego to elope! With the amazing Always Flawless coordinating and Moonllit Floral on Flowers, they had the sweetest, dreamiest day. Sunset Cliffs is always a dream and after their ceremony they watched the sunset with gluten free cupcakes.
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Thoughts/tips for other couples planning during Covid?
I think just being flexible and being not afraid to get a little creative is the best advice I can offer! Taking the time to figure out what meant the most to us, and then planning our day around that, really helped to put all our elements into perspective. All the extra elements (fun charcuterie board, champagne toast, themed playlists) helped make the day so fun, but if we weren’t able to make those work for any reason, the day would have still been just as magical!
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We'd suggest for couples to really think about what's important to them for their wedding day. We both agreed on the style of the wedding, what we'd wear, and what we'd eat and went from there. It was definitely nontraditional but will always be remembered as a perfect day. Biggest takeaway is that photos are most important for your day! They are how you'll remember the day for the rest of your life and we are beyond glad we booked with Maddie!
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Who made the first move?
Bill: Definitely me*. I used our beloved dog, Queeny, to do so. She's the real matchmaker in this relationship.
*He was skeptical initially because we were coworkers, but not long after that we were like teenagers sneaking around until we were more serious and felt comfortable with our 'secret' being out.
Tell me more about Queeny!!!
Cristin: Back in 2018 Queeny was just a lost puppy wondering the field behind our school for weeks (literally like 2 weeks) before a student was able to catch her.
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The Mission at San Juan Capistrano is one of my favorite spots in Southern California for photos! The gardens are always gorgeous and the Mission transports you straight back to the Old World with their ruins. Their website describes it as : a monument to California’s multi-cultural history, embracing its Native American, Spanish, Mexican and European heritage
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Sunset Cliffs or bust! Another excellent day at one of my favorite spots in San Diego! There’s definitely something magical about the light and the sunsets here are truly, always perfect. Since Jessica & David were planning to elope in the mountains, I suggested Sunset Cliffs for their engagement shoot! It’s always nice to have variety in your photos, so I frequently encourage couples to do their engagement photos somewhere very different from their wedding location. Sunset Cliffs is also very dog friendly, which was perfect, since they would be bringing their amazing pup Kona.
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For other covid couples, make your new wedding plans only about YOU but also safety. I work in a hospital and COVID is in my face everyday. We put a lot of thought into covid safety (no shared serving platters, hired a bar tender, everything spaced out) and only invited immediate family and we each got two friends to invite. We did a zoom for everyone else which was actually awesome
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Mt Laguna is such a great elopement spot and it totally showed off this day. Officiated by Your Wedding Belles, Sarah and Onai shared their vows in front of an amazing view of the Cleveland National Forest with family. There was a perfect breeze and the sunset showed up in the most incredible way. It was SO cool to see a full moon and the sunset at the same time. It made the occasion extra magical.
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We were supposed to get married in 2020, but again, pandemic. Who knows when we’ll be able to have our actual wedding, but doing a photo session with Maddie to celebrate when we were *supposed* to get married was absolutely perfect. I got to wear a dress I adored in this beautiful setting and take a much needed little Airbnb trip with Matt just for us.
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